Method of collecting particles present in an ionized medium.



W. W. STRONG. METHOD OF COLLECTING PARTIGLES PRESENT IN AN IONIZEDMEDIUM.

' Patented May 12, 1914.

W TN E 8 8 E 8 ZZhzm/ z w zg ATTORNEYS WILLIAM WALKER STRONG, 0FMECHANIGSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD 01E COLLECTING PARTICLES PRESENT IN AN IONIZED MEDIUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Application filed December 28, 1912. Serial No. 739,066.

To all whom it may concern.

-Be it known that 1, WILLIAM WALKER S'rnoNu, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Mechanicsburg, in the county of Cumberland andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Method ofCollecting Particles Present in an 1onized Medium, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is based upon the ionization of different media, andproceeds upon the fact that nurticlcs present in an ionized medium maybe collected through the use of an electric field.

While the invention in its broader aspect may be said to include amethod of coating, the particular application of the invention isdirected to a method of indicating the presence oi solid liquidparticles in an ionized medium, such as, for instance, the presence ofsmoke in the gases given off by a furnace. 'llhcre are various agencieswhich may eti'ect the ionization of the medium, such as, for instance,the heat of a furnace, or the rays of a Nernst lamp, of an electricbulb, or, in fact, any incandescent substance; such ionization ispresumed in the performance of the invention to be described. Of course,as far as the performance of such invention is concerned, the particularmeans for effecting such ionization is imn'iatcrial, the method havingmore to do with the collection, or with the bringing together of some orall of the particles present in such ionized medium. The theory ofionization proceeds as follows: A medium within the influence of anyionizing agent is partly broken up into positive and negative ions, andparticles or substances present in such ionized medium partake of thecharges of such ions, some of the particles acquiring a positive chargeand others acquiring a negative charge.

In my invention I employ an clectile field brought into the region ofthe ionized me dium to bring together certain of the par ticles oi themedium to places desired. The particles herein referred to consist ofsuspended liquid or solid matter and are therefore very large ascompared with the size oi. gaseous molecules. in most kinds of smoke,fumes, etc., these particles are of sutiicient size to be seen by thenaked eye.

As before mentioned, the application which 1 have made is utilized as amethod of indicating the presence of smoke, dust, tumes, mists, or'otherparticles present in lines and pipes, as a means of checking the timeswhen said smoke, dust, fumes, mists,

While any particular form of apparatus may be employed in the practiceof the invention, the mechanism herein deseribedis one embodiment whichhas been found to possess decided etiiciency and adaptability. In theaccompanying sheet of drawings I have shown, more or lessdiagrammatically, the arrangement of the different elements which,collectively, enable the method to be perfm-n'ied.

A chimney line 1 leads from a furnace 2, the flue being provided withopenings 3-4: communicating with the interior thereof, the particlespresent within the flue when the furnace is working being frequentlycharged, the medium surrounding these particles at the same portions ofthe flue being in a state of ionization due to the fact that thematerial within the furnace is in an incaiulescent state.

vlt is convenient to make the line or pipe of conducting material, suchas sheet iron or any other thin metallic substance. Under theseconditions the metallic parts not as screens to the electric field, onlylines of electric force passing through the opening such as 4. lt isobvious that the thinner the walls of the line or pipe, the greater willbe the number of electric lines of force passing through the opening it,and therefore the greater (EilltftlVtlltiSH of the action of theelectric ticld. The line or tube may be made of dielectric materialhowever, in which case the action will be similar in nature to thattaking place with a flue of eonducting material.

The mechanism which is termed the recordcr comprises a cylinder 5 ofdielectric material, shown as mounted on a spindle U, which isscrew-threaded and in engagement with a suitable clock-work or motor 7;the outside of the cylinder carries a covering 100 on which the recordis taken, such covering being paper or similar material, It will benoted that the cylinder is closely adjacent the opening 4 in the flue 1the particular purpose oftheeIloek-worl; eing to not only rotate thecylinder, but to cause thesame to advance longitudinally of the flue,whereby the projection of the said opening would develop a helix on thesaid cylinder.

Within the cylinder 5, and opposite the opening l, is an electrode 8,connected to one side of the secondary 10 of a suitable transformer bym'ea of any convenient wire 9, the terminals of said secondary includinga spark ga 11. The primary 12' of the transformer is actuated from anysuitable source, such as a generator lii, the circuit embodying a switch14.

After the transformer primary circuit is closed the flowof currenttherethrough will induce an electro-motive-force in the second ary, andan electric field will be set up inthe vicinity of the electrode 8; theclock-work or similar motor 7 being started after the sheet 100 isplaced on the cylinder, the turn ing of the cylinder will bringsuccessively fresh portions of the sheet opposite the opening t, and thesaid field will bring the movingparticles within the flue through theopening adjacent the sheet, where they will be deposited. If thecylinder 5 and the sheet thereon are brought into a similar positionopposite the opening 3 in the due, and the same steps gone through, adeposit may not be obtained on the sheet 100 for the reason that suchopening 3 may be beyond the ionized portion of themedium within theflue; that is, the positive and negative charges on the ions andparticles. have been neutralized, and m'ovement'oi the particles, due tomovement of the ions no longer occurs. As the cylinder continues toturn,t-he action of the field brings about the collectionof theparticles in the ionized medium, so that as long as combustion is takingplace in the furnace, and the products of such combustion ihclude solidor liquid particles,

such solid or liquid particles will be de-' posited upon the sheet 100,the resultingdeposit being an indication of the amount of solid orliquid matter givenout by the flue or chimney, which matter may be madeup of unconsumed products.

Since the smoke and fume problem is something that cities have tocontend with, and siiice it is desirable that some means be availablefor keeping check on the smoke and fumes being belched from chimneys,the method herein described lends itself particularly as a means forbringing about such a record the particular apparatus described may beconveniently contained in a suitable casing and placed in properposition within a boiler room, where the records may be removedatcertain intervals. ilihe operation, then, as described, consists insubjecting an ionized medium, andthe particles therein, to the influenceof an electric field, and in providingan element between the sburce suchfield and the ionized medium, so that the traveling ot the particlesunder the influence of the field to the electrode will cause. theparticles to come into'contact with and be received upon said element.Since in order to provide a commercially successful apparatus forperforming the invention more or less structure is necessary, and sincesuch structure must support the record sheet, and I since this structuremust be permeable tothe electric field, this support is of dielectricmaterial, as stated, i

As previously noted, the method may be availed of in collectingparticles which are present in an ionized medium, the'particular mannerof bringing about such ionization being immaterial, as such state ofaflairs may be efiected by means of a Nernst glower, an electric lamp,or, in fact, any incandes cent substance. In the performance of themethod described, other apparatus than that illustrated may be availedof, the use of such apparatus, however, ,not departing from the spiritof the method disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what t a I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is: 1 The method of collecting particlespresent in an ionized medium, which consists in depositing the saidparticles on a member under the influence of an electric field.

2. The method of collecting particles pres ent in an ionized medium,which consists in depositing the said particles on a movable memberadjacent the source of an electric field.

3. The method of collecting particles present in an ionized'medium,which consists in subjecting the medium andparticles to the action of anelectric field, and collecting the particles on a member positionedbetween an electrode and the said medium.

4. The method of. collectin'gparticles present in an ionized medium,which consists in subjecting the medium and "particles to the'infiuence'of an electric field, and" continuously collecting theparticles on a suitable member positioned between the region" ofgreatest intensity in the said field and. {the said ionized medium.

5. The method of collecting particles present in an ionized medium,which consists in subjecting the medium and particles tothe action of an7 electric field, and. placing a suitable member between the mostintense part of thesaid field and the said medium,

"whereby the particles may be collected on the said member. v

6. The method of collecting particges suspended in any fluid medium,which onsists in subjectin the medium to the actio' of an 125 electricfiel and placing a suitable cielectrio element between thesource of the$eleca tric field and' the said medium, whereby the .7 particles maybecollected on the said memer.

7 Ihe herein described method of colously moving said element todistribute the 10 lecting particles present in an ionized medeposit.dium, which consists in subjecting the me- In testimony whereof I havesigned my dium and particles to the action of an elecname to thisspecification in the presence of 5 tric field, whereby the particles arecaused two subscribing witnesses.

to move by the force of the electric field and WILLIAM WALKER STRONG. ininterposing in the path of the moving Witnesses: particles a dielectricelement upon which the G110. C. COOVER,

particles may be deposited, and in continu- D. E. KAST.

